This invention is concerned with lockers for temporary use, but also encompasses lockers for longer term use. In particular, the invention is directed to an electronic locker lock for use on such lockers.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,886,644 and 5,894,277, owned by the assignee of this invention describe locker locks similar to the locks disclosed herein. Those locks each include two housings, one on the outside of the door, one on the inside, secured together with the door panel sandwiched between, preferably using the standard three-hole locker door prep typically included on locker doors.
Those patents featured a pin connector without cable, the two components of the pin connector mating together as the inner and outer housings were put into place on the door. In some circumstances such a connection could be problematic, such as when different thicknesses of doors need to be accommodated. Pins of different length had to be provided, and in some cases long pins could be misdirected and deformed as the housings were put in place, preventing a proper connection.
It is therefore desirable to have a cable, such as a ribbon connector cable, extending from one of the housings, the end of the cable having a pin connector component that mates with a fixed-position opposing pin connector component on the other housing. Although this arrangement has been used on some locker door locks having inner and outer housings, the cable has presented a problem. The length of the cable must be sufficient for convenience in use for assembling the lock on the locker door, but this length must then be stowed between the housings when attached to the door. Usually the cable was simply stuffed into the small amount of space afforded by the hole through the door. With a sufficiently thick door, such as a ¾ inch wood door, the cable was jammed into the depth of the hole in a somewhat disorganized way, potentially causing damage to the cable. In some cases there has been no place to store the cable.